User:Mr. Ibrahem/Bethanechol

Bethanechol, sold under the brand name Urecholine, is a medication used to treat urinary retention and heartburn. Specifically it is used for urinary retention due to a lack of contraction of the urinary bladder. It is taken by mouth, half an hour before food, 3-4 times daily.

Common side effects include crampy abdominal pain, flushing, sweating, nausea, and diarrhea. It should not be used in people with a very slow heart rate, epilepsy, stomach ulcer, intestinal obstruction, parkinsonism, recent heart attack, COPD, or overactive thyroid. Its effects in pregnancy are not known. It is a parasympathomimetic that directly stimulates muscarinic receptors without any effect on nicotinic receptors.

Bethanechol was approved for medical use in the United States in 1948. In the United Kingdom, one month costs the NHS up to £30 as of 2022. This amount in the United States is about 25 USD. It is not often used, and in the United Kingdom is deemed less suitable.